


More Than Steel

by Doceo_Percepto



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: AU, Gen, Mentions of previous tortures, inhumane confinement
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2020-07-08 15:23:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19871833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Doceo_Percepto/pseuds/Doceo_Percepto
Summary: Dr. Elias Polanski, a physiologist specializing in chimeras, is assigned to study the captured homunculus Envy. He begins to question the State's prerogatives.Envy just wants to escape, and they're good at manipulating their handlers.[AU where homunculi are captured by the State military and used as weapons]





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Sins of the Father](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9304550) by [f_imaginings](https://archiveofourown.org/users/f_imaginings/pseuds/f_imaginings). 



> Please take this from me. I've been trying to write it for years.
> 
> 100% inspired by the above story, but this one is very AU to that. AU of an AU. AUception. To any familiar with the Sins of the Father, this is a prequel of sorts. Prior to the State learning how to control Envy.

Homunculi do not exist.

That is to say, the State does not officially recognize their existence, and does not tolerate rumors suggesting otherwise.

No, homunculi do not exist – but the State military proudly captured their first one in 1827, a second in 1834, and a third in 1850. By 1908, they had captured their fourth homunculus. All four held residence in underground, state of the art cells, behind six inches of reinforced glass, 24/7 surveillance, and a swarm of guards.

These precautions are, of course, necessary. It’s unclear what exactly homunculi _are –_ but there’s no doubt that they require nothing less than optimal security containment, because if nothing else, they are bloodthirsty monsters possessing otherworldly and powerful abilities far beyond those of a human. They can blend in with human society almost effortlessly, and according to all State military records, are immortal.

Given these reasons, it’s quite obvious why the State might want to hide homunculi from the public – complete global panic was not on their agenda.

But of course, the State wasn’t keeping the homunculi secret and contained purely for kicks or civilian safety. No, their containment had other benefits. If the unique abilities of the homunculi could somehow be… harnessed… then they could improve the general welfare of soldiers, enhance healing on the battlefield, and amplify the talents of State Alchemists. In addition to this, the homunculi themselves could be extraordinarily efficient weapons…. If properly controlled.

One by one, the first three captured homunculi were brought to a heel. 

The fourth one, however, was not so easily swayed.

* * *

“Dr. Elias Polanski, is that right?”

“Y-yes, yes ma’am,” Elias replied hastily, scrambling to keep up with his companion’s broad strides. His crisp laboratory coat flapped frantically at his heels. He clutched a clipboard tightly to his chest and adjusted the brand new badge attached to his coat. 

“So you’re the new handler,” she muttered, “which means you and I are going to get pretty familiar with each other, Polanski.”

“Oh? Um, the officer back there didn’t properly introduce us…”

“It’s Lyra. The primary guard for Envy’s cage.”

“O-oh, so you know the homunculus? It’s called Envy? I have so many questions before I meet it; no one in briefing had even seen one –“

“Yeah, people that meet ‘em have a piss poor survival rate.”

“I was lead to understand it was contained…” Elias replied, suddenly nervous. “I’ve worked with dangerous animals before, of course, but they were all caged-“

“Oh, it is. But some people are stupid.”

“You mean – it escaped once?”

Lyra rolled her eyes. “Why do you think we called you in? The last handler screwed up.”

“Ah, I assure you, I read the protocols very carefully. Everything about security precautions and restraining methods.”

Lyra cast him a disdainful glance with cool blue eyes. “I’ll still have to wipe your ass for you.”

Elias frowned, vaguely insulted. He had only ever been careful his entire life, reading all the fine print and studying up before throwing himself into anything. Sure, this homunculus situation was somewhat different: he had never met a homunculus before in his life, and in fact, hadn’t even known they’d existed until his job acceptance two weeks ago. But he’d attended every briefing on safety, and he’d read up every single thing he could get his hands on. He’d carefully examined his contract, and learned everything that the military would allow.

“I may be more competent than you realize,” Elias said, the effect slightly ruined by him stumbling around a corner after Lyra. 

Lyra sighed, exasperated. “Look, Polanski. If I had a fancy medical background, I’d study Envy myself and be done with it.”

“Why is that?” Elias asked, trying to be patient.

“None of these doctors they bring in realize how dangerous Envy is.”

“Then you’re the one I should learn from.”

Lyra faltered, then slowed her stride. “So what is your previous experience, Polanski? Why’d they think you’re qualified?”

“Really, you can call me Elias-“

Lyra halted so abruptly that Elias nearly went reeling into her. He awkwardly skirted around her, only to meet her entirely flat, humorless gaze. “Look, I’m not gonna get cozy with someone whose got a timer on their life. What experience?”

“I don’t –“

“ _What_ experience?”

“I - I studied chimeras. I never created any myself, of course – I - I have no alchemic abilities. But when some of the experiments were brought in, it was my job to examine them. Through my studies, particularly on erythrocyte fusion and skeletal compatibility, the alchemists were able to produce more versatile specimens.”

“And they felt that that qualified you for this job?”

Elias tightened his grip on the clipboard, chafing at this woman’s unearned derision. “My understanding is that homunculi and chimeras are both artificial creations. Someone in the state must have felt my knowledge was relevant, or I wouldn’t be here.”

“I hope it is.” Lyra diverted her attention from Elias and removed one of her gloves. Upon pressing her bare hand to a blue screen, the elevator before them opened. “Come on. This will take us to the basement floor. You’ll live down in the basement, same as me and the three other guards. Your contract is six months. You aren’t to leave the facility in that time, not without written permission from the higher-ups. After that period of time, you will never enter this facility again, and you will never speak of the work you did here. Understand?”

“Yes,” Elias answered, mildly confused, as this had all been covered in his contract.

“Good. Your job,” Lyra said, “is to say ‘jump,’ and to get Envy to say, ‘how high.’”

Elias furrowed his brow. “I’m sorry, I was told that I would be performing some medical research, not _training_?” The opportunity to study a rare specimen was in fact what prompted him to accept the job in the first place.

“Sure. Whatever it takes to figure out what makes it tick. This isn’t like medical school, doctor. We don’t care what you do or what you study. All that matters is that you get results. We want cooperation. Information. Whatever you can give us.”

The elevator door opened to a sterile grey hallway. At the very end, Elias glimpsed the thick six inch glass with a metal base. It was, undoubtedly, a cage. A large reinforced cage. 

“Ready to meet your new friend?” Lyra asked.

Elias wiped his sweaty palms on his lab coat. His first time meeting a homunculus. He had only a fraction of an idea what to expect - Kazeem, the friend who had gotten him this job, had seen a homunculus once. According to him, homunculi had huge tongues, ravenous appetites, and tended to slobber. It was an unflattering description, but Elias had examined many strange abominations. 

The officer gestured toward the glass meaningfully.  Elias crept closer while Lyra followed him, smirking. He would spend the next six months working with this creature. He was eager to catch sight of what monstrous appearance it might have, be it fangs and a giant slobbering mouth, or something else entirely. Monsters, they - they held a certain fascination for Elias. He had an irresistible urge to study them, learn them, understand them. 

Soon he was by the glass, and peering down into the metal cage.  His eyes were immediately drawn to a shape in the center of the cell.

That…. That couldn’t be the homunculus.

It wasn’t at all the way Kazeem had described.

The monster behind the glass was disarmingly _human_. Its lithe body was curiously slender, contradictory to all that Elias had heard about homunculi and their inhuman strength. It also had little concern for the newest additions to their room; the homunculus was splayed out on its back, absurdly long hair splayed in a fan pattern on the floor. One foot lazily swayed back and forth. Elias couldn't tell if it was male or female, but that hardly mattered when he was so shocked that it seemed _human._

This was no chimera. This was no animal. This was… a person. Of some sort.

“Go on, say hi,” the officer prompted mockingly.

That absolutely could not be a professional way to handle it. Say hello to his experiment. Surely it didn’t possess human intelligence? But Elias had doubt, now. What if it _did_? He stepped closer to the glass nervously. “H-hello Envy. I’m Doctor Polanski.” His words came out awkward, no matter what he intended. 

Envy had no such reservations. Without getting up from the floor, or even looking in Elias’ direction, the homunculus burst out in jagged, feminine tones, “Ohh look, they brought me another doctor! Tell me, what is it you study? Hematology? Epidemiology? Or maybe if I’m lucky, it’s another pathologist! I can’t wait for the needles!”

Envy thrust out its arms and legs like a starfish, as if to offer them up for experimentation.

Elias had to gather himself emotionally. Envy could talk. It had intelligence. Human intelligence. Elias wildly glanced back at the commanding officer, seeking some lifeline, only for the officer to smirk knowingly. Lyra _expected_ him to be caught off guard. Maybe not by the creature’s sentience, but by its personality. Abruptly, Elias was angry. Nothing in his briefings had prepared him for this. And now Lyra was quietly belittling him for his surprised reaction. He wasn’t just going to roll over. Elias looked back at Envy determinedly. “A-actually, I’m a physiologist, Envy.”

“Oh, really?” Finally, Envy sat up, and Elias was startled by piercing mauve eyes. “That’s everything about the body, isn’t it? Even more exciting! So, what do you want to try first? Amputation?”

Elias was at a complete loss of how to reply. He had his approaches when he was dealing with chimeras, but this - this was entirely different. 

In an inhuman contortion of one’s body, Envy ended up on four legs, and it crawled in a spidery motion up to the glass, pressing its hands inches from Elias’ face. “Oh, doctor, I can’t wait to play with you,” Envy said, pulling back its lips in a sharp-toothed grin. Its gaze made him feel cold inside. He was grateful when Lyra interjected,

“You two can play later. Ready to see your new office, Polanski?”

“Uh, yes.” Elias staggered away from the glass. “It can talk,” he said, numbly.

“Don’t wet yourself. Follow me.”


	2. Chapter 2

Elias trotted after Lyra, mind stewing. His short introduction with the homunculus had evaporated his confidence. See - normally, Elias was cozy working with fanged, ravenous beasts, relaxed about witnessing horrific splices of two creatures, casual in the presence of monsters. But Envy was - clearly - not a mindless, thoughtless beast. Elias had nodded through all the warnings and cautions about the dangers of homunculi, never realizing that the specimen in question would be so human. It shook him more than he was willingly to admit, and it left him frustrated that nobody had mentioned that detail before. 

“Pay attention,” Lyra snapped.

Right. He needed to focus.

The hallway extending away from Envy’s cage was perhaps only seventy feet, and it terminated in a cramped space that was more of a den than an office. There was barely four feet of space between the door and the desk, and that was likely the most space offered anywhere in the room. A bookshelf backed one wall, crammed full of textbooks, while a filthy cot was shoved up against another wall. A ratty blanket was thrown over the cot, with no pillow in sight. The desk took up the final wall, and was stacked with a bundle of documents and pens, along with a lamp, ruler, and a used ash tray. 

The whole place smelled strongly of stale smoke and old coffee.

“A-are you sure this office isn’t taken?” Elias asked, trying to recover from his shock. It looked as if someone had been in the middle of living here and then, abruptly and with no warning, had left all their things forever. 

“It _was_ for Envy’s previous handler. Now it’s yours.”

“Is there any way I could speak to him? The previous handler?” 

“No,” Lyra replied. “But that packet on your desk?”

Elias glanced over and sure enough saw a stack of about fifty pages, crisp clean white sheets, the only orderly thing in the office.

“Those are the State-approved transcriptions of his notes, and the notes of those before him.”

“Where are the original notes?”

“Polanski, your information packet covers everything you need to know about your subject.”

Elias once more flitted his gaze towards the neatly printed stack. So the notes had been edited into something the State approved of. Of course. 

“Look, go out to the left, that’s your bathroom. You get about five minutes of hot water. To the right, your lab.”

“My lab?” Back at home, Elias had his own supplies and lab bench, but it was strictly stressed to him that he need bring nothing from it. He didn’t realize that would mean he’d be getting an actual laboratory. 

“I’ll show you how to get in.” It was only a few steps to the doorway. Entrance required both a keypad password and a swipe from his identification badge. It opened to the only large room in this basement that Elias had thus far seen, and his jaw dropped. There was surface upon surface piled with a myriad of objects: crucibles, beakers, alembics, rows upon rows of different salts and substances - 

Elias stumbled in, excitement squirming up his chest. Scalpels, forceps, syringes, stethoscopes-

He was partly confused because all these items weren't too well organized, like someone was in the middle of doing something and then left (that was a theme Elias was picking up on, and niggled in the back of his brain, but it was drowned under his excitement). 

As he passed along the lab bench, he found a collection of stoppered elixirs, poisons, and solutions. Arsenic, mercury, ricin, powdered and dried leaves like tumeric, thyme, nightshade. 

The collection was astonishing, far beyond what Elias had managed to gather in his own lifespan, or what he had been given on his projects with the chimeras. He couldn't help but to wiggle in place, emitting an enthusiastic squeak, before remembering that Lyra was still watching from the doorway. 

Clearing his throat, Elias smoothed down his lab coat. He needed to be professional about this. 

“I hope you find it suitable to your tastes,” Lyra said drily. 

“Yes. Um, of course.” Elias examined various items on the table, trying to remain composed and casual as he did so.

Lyra continued, “someone will bring you meals three times a day. If you ever want to travel out of this facility, you talk to me."

Elias nodded as he picked up a line of empty test tubes. There was so much potential in this room! So many things he could apply to his research! Of course, he didn’t even know _how_ he was going to, yet, but the opportunity was here! And perhaps if he made efficient enough progress with the homunculus, he might be able to pursue a few side projects of his own.

“The military has invested substantial sums of money into this project and they will closely be monitoring your progress. You will submit your notes for examination every Thursday.”

Elias nodded distractedly, discovering a vast collection of books on alchemy near the back of the laboratory. So many! His fingers trailed over the leather bound spines, an old longing rising. He eternally yearned to master alchemy, but had no natural ability at all. 

“I’ll be at the cage if you need me.” Lyra turned.

“Wait!” Elias snapped out of his musings, and cleared his throat. “I understand if some information is to be kept from me, but that’s not the only homunculus. How were the other three controlled? It might help…” he trailed off at the officer’s unamused face.

“The methods used on the others failed on this one.”

“What methods were those?”

“They were _obviously_ ineffective with Envy,” the officer said coldly, “so stick with the information you’ve been given. Any questions?”

Elias was positively brimming with questions. But it wasn't like Lyra was enthusiastic to answer, and he imagined she would just direct him to the packet on his desk.  “No questions.”

“Great. Good luck, doctor.” She said it like she had no faith he’d manage to get a single thing out of Envy. 

He replied “thanks,” but she was already striding down the hall.

His eyes drifted back to the dusty books. He could spend the rest of the afternoon reading, and categorizing the items in this lab...

No. He would examine and organize them later. For now, he ought to make the most of his time, and familiarize himself with the information they had offered. Lyra had seemed very insistent he read up before attempting to study Envy. 

Elias wandered back to his new office, old coffee and smoke itching his nose.  This was… his new home, now. In this room. In this basement. He’d be sleeping only a short hallway away from the homunculus.  Elias cleared his throat as if to gather himself together, but the noise sounded weirdly muted. He settled behind the desk and plucked his glasses from his front pocket.

He flicked open the first page of his manual.

**_Homunculus Project: Agent Envy_ **

It was all neatly typed, exempt from the usual scribbles and margin notes that Elias himself would have made on such a document. The source material – the previous handler’s notes – must have been chopped up and rearranged and rewritten in a manner the State approved of, just as Lyra had implied. That was frustrating, and limiting to the pursuit of science. In fact, all of the individual writing nuances had been stripped away and reformatted into the same style. This made it impossible to determine just how many doctors, alchemists, or handlers Envy had encountered. Such information would have been useful. 

Elias shook his head and pressed on.

Envy’s capture was only tangentially referenced at the very start, but never described, which was mystifying. It was followed by a physical description - Elias skimmed through this and furrowed his brow at the needlessly confusing passage reading:

_Height: Variable_

_Weight: Variable_

It would have been nice if previous doctors at least put in a _range._ At any rate, the document moved on to:

_Homunculus resists all cooperation with personnel. Poor candidate for field work without further containment methods. Regenerative and transformative abilities poorly understood. Further investigation required._

Regenerative and transformative abilities? 

This was followed by some notes concerning alchemy that Elias didn’t understand well - it seemed to be from a previous alchemist, trying to work out a mechanism for the transmutation of one’s entire body, which was alchemy on a level beyond what Elias had ever seen. 

Next it detachedly detailed Envy’s refusal to submit itself to any test where cooperation was required, as well as Envy’s unresponsiveness to any verbal bargaining. A great deal of frustration had been edited out of the notes, Elias surmised, leaving only the bare bones where Envy’s disobedience limited the number of studies and experiments that could be performed. 

Its lack of cooperation, apparently, did not stop the next section from being an alphabetized list of procedures that had already been performed, with the results and remarks of each.

Elias began to read down the list, expecting things like a standard blood draw and analysis, or perhaps hands-off behavioral assessments. Those were not the types of things covered. Elias’ eyes leapt down the list, his shock mounting.

_Drowning_

_Electric Shock_

_Exposure to Extreme Cold_

_Exposure to Extreme Heat_

_Exposure to Secemic Plague_

_Incineration_

_Ingestion of Hydrochloric Acid_

_Isolation_

_Mannitol overdose_

_Oxygen Deprivation_

_Poisoning by Arsenic_

_Poisoning by Cyanide_

_Poisoning by Strychnine_

_Sleep Deprivation_

_Starvation_

It took Elias several seconds staring at the page to realize this was real. These were things that had been inflicted upon the homunculus. _All_ these things had been inflicted. And the creature was apparently still living and breathing, not remotely bothered.

Elias jumped to a page at random - one of the poisonings. 

In detached, scientific tones, the document detailed Envy’s convulsions and full body spasms. It made casual remark of the homunculus vomiting, and ended with an indifferent conclusion: _the subject’s regenerative abilities resolved all symptoms within minutes._

Followed by, _repeat treatments led to same result. Mechanism not understood. Requires further investigation._

Elias flicked through other pages, feeling nauseous. 

_Resolved all symptoms_

_Resolved all symptoms_

_Resolved all symptoms_

Even with the chimeras - animals, rather than humanlike beings - care had been employed to make their lives as least painful as possible within the constraints of science and their own natures. It seemed like Envy had experienced exactly the opposite: this was not a scientific report: this was an account of systematic torture. An impersonal list of inhumane horrors. And the creature caged down here was the victim of all of it. 

Elias was torn between nausea and awe. It was horrific to imagine a creature that could endure such agony and endlessly regenerate, never being able to escape the torture inflicted. And yet Envy had never caved, never bent to their whims. Furthermore, had never, apparently, been lastingly damaged by its suffering.

It was incredible. 

Elias closed his eyes and breathed carefully through his nose, before coughing at the lingering smoke smell. 

He needed to consider this logically, not emotionally. He merely had to understand.

Elias’ prerequisite briefing had stressed the extreme dangers associated with homunculi; that they could be deceptive, feral, uncontrollable, murderous. This seemed particularly relevant given that Envy could, astonishingly, endure any torture that would permanently damage or kill a human. The State had merely been exploring its capabilities, seeing what they could learn. Indeed, Envy’s abilities could prove to be extraordinarily valuable to people, if they could be harnessed and used for the military or civilians. The State had to understand those abilities, and to understand them, had to see and experience them. All they were missing was the harness. 

Even after justifying it to himself, Elias still felt sour about the whole ordeal.

No wonder Envy had responded the way he did to Dr. Polanski. Its experiences with doctors had been filled with torture and pain – it was merely waiting for another attack, for needles or knives or acids.

Elias flicked to another page at random, trailed his fingers over the title _Evisceration_. This was disgusting. All of it. And it had been going on for so long. He didn’t think he’d ever feel pity for the caged homunculus. It was probably against his contract in some way to dwell on it. 

He huffed a humorless laugh at that. 

Well. In his opinion, the State had more than enough data on _hurting_ Envy. None of it had helped them _control_ Envy, nor understand how Envy’s most curious powers even worked. Envy was now in Elias’ hands, and it was up to him to make decisions – including the decision to reject torture as an option. He could study and understand the homunculus without employing those sorts of methods.

Sighing, Elias resigned himself to studying this packet front to back.


	3. Chapter 3

The following morning, Elias woke feeling as though tar was coating his throat. Harsh coughs wracked his frame and he staggered out of the cot, poorly rested and grumpy. The thick smoke tainting this room was terrible for his respiratory system: he’d be lucky to survive the six months he was meant to be here. When he ambled over to the desk, his clock told him it was 5:24 AM, and he groaned. Still, he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep again now. He slumped at his desk and resigned himself to looking over the case study again, feeling unmotivated, out of place, and bitter.

At eight o clock sharp, someone arrived to drop off his breakfast on a plastic tray. He thanked her, feeling slightly more like a living person and less like a zombie. At least, until he investigated his breakfast - a dry crusty biscuit, (softened only a little by a daub of chalk-tasting gravy), a glass of milk, and a crop of off-colored grapes.

Elias choked down the meal, resentfulness returning. Maybe accepting this job was a mistake. His already poor health was suffering in the smoke-ridden room and hard cot; he could only imagine how it would worsen over a six month period of that, plus the terrible food. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and flicked his gaze towards the homunculus’s case study. 

Right. Today he should begin with a general physical examination. Recalling the tortures the homunculus had experienced, and the dehumanizing notes written about it, Elias felt oddly re-energized. He was certain he could approach differently than the other doctors had, largely because he had no interest in hurting something that looked so alike to a human. He was certain he could discover something that none of the other past handlers had, if he assumed a more sympathetic and pragmatic approach. Elias tugged his white lab coat over his narrow frame, and clipped his identification badge to the pocket. 

Last night, he’d sketched out a plan, which included notes about where he felt the case study was lacking, particularly in matters such as Envy’s basic vitals and phenomena that the document had failed to elaborate on.

After reviewing the outline, Elias nodded firmly and left the smoke-heavy room. He entered the containment area armed with little more than a clipboard, stethoscope, a few vials, and a steely determination. 

Lyra was standing dutifully outside the cage, looking half-bored. 

“Oh, you’re finally awake,” she said. Was she never off the job?

“Good morning,” Elias greeted.

“Hum,” she replied disinterestedly.

That was just her way, Elias supposed. Brusque or not, though, her presence was a comfort against the intimidating steel and glass cage - or rather, the creature within it. Elias forced himself to stand bravely beside the glass and peer in. He would, after all, need to get comfortable with Envy, sooner rather than later.

“Good morning, Envy,” he directed with firm cheer towards the cage. Yesterday, he’d been caught off guard, he was willing to admit. He’d been expecting a fanged slavering beast, and instead got a snarky humanoid subject. Today, he was determined to remain more composed. 

Unfortunately, nothing responded to his greeting. 

Elias leaned in further, nearly pressing his nose to the glass. “Good morning, Envy?” He tried again, swiping his eyes along every corner of the cell. Yet again, no reply. Something very very cold began to sink into Elias’ chest, because he couldn’t see Envy in the cage. At all. Anywhere. And it wasn't like there was anywhere to hide. Literally the only thing in the impersonal glass and metal enclosure was a very cold-looking examination table bolted down in the middle of the floor. No matter which way Elias tilted his head, attempting to catch sight of the homunculus, he couldn't see hind nor hair of it. At this point, his heart rate was skyrocketing. 

Without knowing what he’d done wrong, Elias was already thinking anxiously, _first day on the job and I’ve already messed up._ He just had to have done something wrong; he - he had to have failed to follow some protocol or some rule - 

Elias staggered back from the cage, palms sweaty, face ashen, and turned to Lyra, “E-Envy’s escaped,” he breathed, terrified at his own words, trembling under the horrible weight of them, “I’m sorry, I - I don’t - I didn’t mean to, but we need to-“

Lyra blinked at him emotionlessly.

“ _It’s not there_ -“ Elias waved at the cage frantically, trying to impress upon Lyra the severity of his own blunder. Was he making sense, or blurring all his words together in panic? “O-officer, please, Envy - “

“Stop before you give yourself a heart attack, Polanski.”

Elias shut right up, petrified but so incredibly confused. 

Lyra shifted her weight to other foot and crossed her arms. “They haven’t escaped. This is just one of their games.”

“ _Games_ …?” Elias echoed hoarsely.

Right on cue, something in the cage exploded into existence in a crackle of reddish lightening, so sudden that Elias yelped and skittered away. There, inexplicably, was Envy, doubled over in laughter. “Oh man, that was the best reaction I’ve gotten outta _anyone_! You thought it was YOUR fault? Jeez, doctor, how could you have messed up so badly to let me loose without touching the cage?” After that spiel, Envy could barely breathe through its laughter.

Humiliation poured in, hot and awful.Lyra couldn't even disguise her own tiny smirk, which only made Elias feel _worse._ Like he wanted to crawl into a corner and disappear. Buried under his embarrassment, though, the gears in his head continued to churn, and a detail from the notes came back to him: 

_Height: Variable_

_Weight: Variable_

“It’s… a Shapeshifter,” Elias blurted. That’s how Envy ‘disappeared:’ presumably, it assumed a form too small for Elias to notice. 

“Yeah,” Lyra said. 

Still catching his breath, Elias spit out, “is there anything _else_ I should know?”

Lyra shook her head.

“Why don’tcha ask me yourself?” Envy taunted.

All right. No answers from Lyra, then. Elias couldn't help a vicious furl of resentment that he hadn’t been warned prior of Envy’s shapeshifting. Of course, given the notes, maybe he should have gleaned that information himself, but it had never been explicitly stated… something like that should be made clearer. Now his entire planned and calm approach was ruined by both Envy and Lyra making fun of him. 

Scowling, Elias rubbed the bridge of his nose. Scientists had to be nothing if not flexible. At the very least, he’d already learned something new about Envy that shed light on the rest of the notes. And he’d learned, yet again, that Lyra was unlikely to be helpful at all. Whose side was she on, anyway?

No… Elias shook his head and corrected himself. This wasn’t about sides; this was no childish contest. He needed to remain professional, and not let his emotions govern his thoughts and choices. 

“So,” Envy leaned up against the cage wall, closer than Elias was strictly comfortable with, though he was careful not to move away. “Tell me, doctor, what kinda games do _you_ play? Wanna roast me? Freeze me? Poison me? Come on, I’m _dying_ to know.”

If nothing else, that taunting was at least familiar, because it was precisely what Envy had led with the first time they had met. This was a behavior that Elias had predicted would emerge again, and therefore it was something he could re-stabilize himself on. 

Clearing his throat, he composed himself. “Actually, I’d like to do a simple physical exam today.”

“Oh, doctor! You sure move fast, don’t you? Come on, we just met yesterday!”

Elias tapped tapped his pen lightly on the clipboard. “Previous notes suggest you have regenerative abilities that far exceed that of a human, both in speed and extent of healing.”

“That’s right, doctor. In short, if you stab me, I’ll heal before I’ll bleed.”

“That’s an extraordinary ability.”

“Do you wanna try?”

Elias frowned. Envy had a concerning habit of goading him into hurting them. 

_Don’t let them get to you._

He continued smoothly, “it also says that you have superhuman strength. I read that you managed to break out of the previous holding cell, hm… by… physically destroying the metal bars. I believe destroy is an understatement, based on the photocopies attached to the study.”

Envy gave an exaggerated shrug. “What can I say? I’ve got a killer exercise routine.”

Elias quietly added _excellent grasp of sarcasm_ to his notes. In fact, Envy seemed to have an extraordinary grasp of all human expressions, idioms, and language nuances. From this and other facts, he could reasonably conclude that homunculus shared comparable intelligence to humans. This was disturbing in its implications, especially considering what they had done to Envy in the past. 

“I was hoping we might be able to test that strength some time, but-” 

“Ooh, tests, my favorite!”

Elias allowed himself a sympathetic expression. “This one won’t be painful. But let’s start with the general examination.”

“Go for it.” Envy’s eyes glittered.

Elias hesitated. Now this was the part he was significantly less confident about. There was a protocol for up-close examinations, where Elias might enter Envy’s holding cell and perform experiments. Envy needed to lay on the examination table within its cell, and Elias would press a button to activate the restraints. If Elias wanted to do this humanely - which he did - he would need to convince Envy to lay on the table, when it had every reason to not obey.

Envy had foreseen this, apparently. “Well, doctor?” It prompted. “Won’t you examine me?”

Lyra was busy side-eying Elias with clear disapproval.

Elias nodded. “Yes. Envy, could you please go lay on the table?”

Envy smiled. “Why would I do that?” 

Yep. There was the upfront refusal Elias had been expecting. “Please, Envy. I don’t want you to suffer. This won’t be painful.”

“Ohh, say it like that again!” Envy crowed, clasping its hands together. “ _It won’t be painful, Envy_!~”

“Envy, please just lay on the table. I need to be closer to do the examination.”

“Oh, well, come right on in, doctor. I promise I won’t hurt you.”

Lyra broke in, “I thought you read the protocols for non-compliance.”

“Yes, I read them,” Elias replied stubbornly. Those protocols had been included in the manual last night, and were brutally simple. If Envy refused to obey an order, then the wires in the floor sent 300 volts straight into its body. This treatment was to be reapplied every ten seconds until compliance was earned. 

Yes, he had read that well. For obvious reasons, Elias was unwilling to jump straight into that method.

“Envy, just make this easy on both of us. Climb on the table and lay down.”

“Nye nye nye!” Envy hopped from one foot to the next and stuck out its tongue.

Elias’ knuckles tightened on the clipboard. He didn’t know what to do. All his confidence had deflated. If Lyra reported to the higher ups that he couldn’t even get Envy to lay on the damn table – that, in fact, he had utterly failed to perform any experiments whatsoever, then it was unlikely he’d be allowed to keep the job. And finding another job after being discharged in such a way from the military…

Elias leaned closer to the glass. “Envy, please. Let me help you. I don’t want to have to force you.”

“I can’t hear you!” Envy had its fingers crammed into its ears and it continued the weird hopping dance.

Frustrated into helplessness, Elias was clutching his clipboard tightly and trying to reconsider his approach when Envy let out a strangled yowl and crumpled to the floor. A spasm shot through its body, and then it coiled in a tight ball, shivering. 

Elias had the sense to realize precisely what had happened. “Why did you shock it?”

Lyra appraised him coldly. “Doctor Polanski, the thing in there is a monster, not a child. If you can’t convince them to cooperate, I will.”

A loud “ _Wooow!_ ” Came from the cage, followed by unhinged laughter. Envy was staggering to their feet, looking ragged but still grinning. “That sure was a whopper. Did you up the amps or something, Lyr-AGH!” The homunculus thudded to the floor again with an absurdly loud thump that made the glass shake.

“Aw, screw you, too!” It screamed from the floor. Another yowl. 

“Stop it, stop it!” Elias flailed his arms and accidentally dropped his pen. 

Lyra ignored him. “Envy, get on the damn table.”

The homunculus stuck its tongue out, but crawled onto the table and flopped on its back. Lyra smacked another button on the panel. 

Elias had expected something like metal restraints looping around Envy’s body. That was, apparently, not at all the reality. Instead, dozens of metal spikes shot from the table and impaled straight through Envy’s wrists, legs, sides, shoulders, before looping back around and hooking into the table. 

Envy gave barely a wince.

“What is that?” Elias said in horror. “Those weren’t in the protocol, or in the report?!”

“It’s a newer addition,” Lyra said. “Trust me; they’re necessary.”

Elias gaped mutely, stuck between protesting and wondering why the guard was so certain they were needed.

“Look, doctor, you figure out a way to keep this thing under control, and then we can talk about loosening security measures, all right? Until then, understand that they’re in place for a _reason_.”

“There has got to be a better way,” Elias began helplessly. 

“If there is,” Lyra said, “then why don’t you _find_ it and _use_ it?”

Point taken. Elias wanted to protest as these methods, but if these were the means available to them now, then they were what he’d have to use. 

Bitter about how his first day had gone so far, but wanting to make the best of the time allowed to him, Elias slunk to the entrance of the cage. First he pushed his finger against the print scanner, then he flashed his badge over a second scanner as he had been instructed to do. Lyra pressed another button by her that completed the entry process. Six locks, each elaborately carved with alchemic runes, clicked opened. 

Now Envy’s cage was open. 

Abruptly, Elias’ chest felt tight. He stepped in, and the door hissed shut behind him. Sealing him in. The air seemed to change.

Outside the room, he was protected from Envy by several inches of thick steel and glass, as well as a network of advanced alchemy. Inside… there was nothing between them, and Lyra wasn’t immediately at hand to help if needed. Yes, Envy was currently strapped down and staked to the table, with more alchemy binding it down, but even then, Elias couldn't help being more nervous than he could explain or even reasonably justify. 

There was something terrifying about being in the near proximity of a creature that could withstand something like that and still be breathing. Elias approached carefully. He could see Envy clearer now, without the barriers between them. 

The homunculus was perhaps shorter than the doctor, but every inch of it was reinforced by ropy, lithe muscles. Elias felt very much as though he were in the presence of a professional athlete, or an animal at its prime. Its soft, slow breathing seemed not unlike that of a carnivore stalking its prey. An acrid chemical scent clung to it like oil. It was spooky. Unlike humans. Unlike, even, the chimeras with sharp teeth and glowing eyes. Compared to before, Envy looked paler, maybe, though it was hard to tell. Their skin had attempted to regenerate around the metal cuffs, and Elias winced at the tight hug of flesh wrapped around metal. Very much a predator pinned down. A nauseating mix of feelings was making Elias regret his stale breakfast: both sympathy for the homunculus, as well as terror for it, and finally, a mechanical part of his brain constantly buzzed over the how’s and why’s of Envy’s physiology. 

Despite the horrific situation, Envy’s expression looked simply… defeated. Bored. Somewhere between those.

All of this testified to the fact there was something extraordinarily but subtly unnerving about Envy. 

Elias shivered. Enough. He needed to pull himself together. 

“F-first, I’ll take basic vital signs,” Elias said. His voice echoed oddly in the room. It was easier, at least, to fall into a familiar routine. “We need to know baseline before we do anything else.” Of course, baseline while the homunculus was cruelly restrained may not be true baseline, but it wasn’t like he’d enter the cell otherwise.

“Sure thing,” Envy replied tiredly. The homunculus’ demeanor had entirely changed, much more reserved and quiet now, and it didn’t make Elias any too good to know the change was undoubtedly due to Envy being tortured into compliance. It wasn’t the way Elias had wanted to do things. 

“I’m sorry,” Elias uttered softly.

“What is that, empathy?” Envy squinted at him. “Can it, doctor. If these restraints weren’t here, I’d have your insides on the outside in two seconds flat. I’m not about all that pathetic human sentiment.”

Oh. Well. Elias shook off his surprise, while his mind chewed on Envy’s words. “Do homunculi not form attachments?” He asked, side-tracked. Any information could be pertinent, after all. Could be helpful. 

Envy didn’t reply, its purple eyes simply narrowing. 

All right. Elias scribbled down a note, then arranged the stethoscope over his ears. Gathering courage, he placed the bell over the homunculus’ heart (no need to note that he was shaking a little. Nerves. Fear). 

However, no sound came through the stethoscope. A crease appeared in his brow. He shifted the stethoscope slightly to the left. No, that couldn’t be correct. Slightly up. Slightly down. To the right. 

“What is that?” Envy asked.

Elias looked up and removed the buds from his ears. This was the first sign of Envy showing something like curiosity. It was, in fact, the first time Envy had displayed anything but mocking cynicism. That was promising already, and did wonders to relieve some of Elias’ nerves. “A stethoscope. Have you never heard of one?”

Envy scrunched up its nose childishly. “What does it do?”

“Reads heartbeats. It’s standard practice, but I think it’s good to obtain a baseline value for you. It’s really odd none of your other handlers or doctors did that.”

“Huh.”

“Trouble is, I’m having a difficult time locating your heartbeat…” Befuddled, Elias placed the buds into his ears again. Nothing but silence. Maybe the stethoscope was broken? It had served him well through many chimera examinations, but it was old…

Laughing, Envy stretched its limbs (much as it could) like a lazy cat, and let the back of its head fall freely against the table. From this angle, its throat was exposed, but Elias supposed it had no need for survival instincts in a place like this.

“I’ll tell ya,” Envy said casually, “there’s nothing more satisfying than seeing you humans try to wrap your brain around homunculi.”

Elias lifted his head and tugged off the stethoscope. “Huh?”

“You think you can use your tools to examine us? Hah! We’re way beyond your comprehension. We’re obviously the superior species.”

Elias frowned.“You don’t have a very objective view of the matter.”

“Neither do you, doctor! Come on, we’re stronger than you, faster than you –“

“But you’re the one on the examination table.”

Envy shut their mouth and glared.

Elias had the sense to feel ashamed. He may have won some small battle, but the idea was not for him to win verbal battles against his test subject.

“I’m sorry, Envy. I started off on the wrong foot.”

“Ugh, I hate the way you say my name. It’s like the way you say a dog’s name.”

“What do you mean?”

“ _Envy_ , ugh. I’m sorry, _Envy._ You say it all soft and crap. Give me a break.”

Elias opened his mouth to apologize and then closed it again. A tiny smile quirked one side of his mouth. “I’ll try not to do that.”

“You’re still doing it. Also, it’s _they_. Not _it_.”

“What?”

“How dense are ya? What would you do if I ran around calling you ‘it’? Yeesh, is it too much to ask for a little respect?”

Oh. _Oh._ Envy was taking issue with being called an ‘it.’ Elias had never considered using any other pronouns, but in hind sight, it made him wince that he’d been calling a living thing an _it._ “They,” Elias corrected himself.

“Don’t expect me to get the confetti out, just ‘cause I’m not some inanimate object to you.”

“I’ll hold my suspense.” Elias returned the earbuds to his ears and pressed the stethoscope to it - _their_ \- chest again. Still nothing. Not one heartbeat. The scope had to be nonfunctional or broken. He’d have to request another…

“You should give up,” Envy said, and the sound resonated strangely through his stethoscope. 

Elias flicked his gaze up to meet Envy’s startling purple eyes.

“Why?”

“Well, dear doctor, probably because I have no heart.”

Sarcastic, or serious? Elias tilted his head to the side slightly.

Envy smirked. “I’m not messing with ya. No heart here, none at all.”

“But how can you have no heart?”

“Guess it’s just part of my charming attributes.”

“But you bleed,” Elias said slowly. “In the reports, your previous handlers mentioned you bleed when you’re hurt. If you don’t have a heart, how can you have functional veins?”

At this, Envy appeared truly stumped.“Huh. You know, doctor, I’ve never really thought about it.”

An easy way to find out, of course, would be a vivisection. Envy would survive such a thing, Elias had no doubt, based on the reports, and a wealth of information could be acquired from a look at their insides. Still, he recoiled at his own thought processes. Envy was a living creature, homunculus or not. He intended on studying them _without_ causing harm.

Frowning at the restraints, Elias revised himself: without causing _needless_ harm.

Sighing, he scribbled down that he needed a new stethoscope. “Now I’m going to count your respiratory rate, all right? Just breathe normally.”

“Breathe normally, he says,” Envy muttered, but laid still while Elias quietly counted. He had to count twice to be sure, but it was true: Envy only breathed five to six breaths per minute. That was far lower than an average human, leading Elias to the suspicion that Envy was purposefully altering the results just to be troublesome. Envy _had_ seemed a little too cooperative… 

Regardless, Elias took note of the recorded rate, and added a remark about the possibility of bias. 

Next, it would be useful to analyze Envy’s chemical composition - at least, of their hair, which was something that could be taken from without pain. Quite a lot of information could be gleaned simply from hair, and Elias had certainly discerned plenty from taking samples from chimeras.

Removing a test tube from his pocket, Elias shuffled to the front of the table. Some surgical scissors neatly snipped off a few centimeters of hair, which was nudged into the test tube and capped right away for later experiments. 

“Hey! How am I supposed to look cute if you’re cutting off all my hair?” Envy shrieked. 

“It’s only a little-“ Elias began, only for red lightning to spark into existence and rake down the length of the damaged hair. Soon, the strand looked precisely as it had before. Completely undamaged. Elias’ jaw dropped.

_Regeneration._ Right. It fell in line cleanly with the shape-shifting, although to Elias’ understanding, the two mechanisms worked quite differently, and were remarkable in their own individual ways.

Envy laughed, harsh and cruel. “Interested, huh? The same thing happens if you cut off any limbs, you know.” They tilted their head to the side so their cheek pressed to the metal table, and their eyes gleefully sought Elias. “Wonder how long it’ll take until you’re cutting me up.”

“That – that won’t be necessary.” Elias hesitated, then added, “any limb? Your arms? Legs?”

“My head, too. Does that make you _salivate_ , doctor?”

Yet again, their inclinations towards self-harm disturbed Elias on a level he could not quite define. “Let’s try to stay objective. You say that having your head or limbs removed are not a problem – they regenerate, I assume, in the same manner your hair did?”

“You’re no fun.”

“If that’s true, it means you regenerate from your torso, right? The loss of an arm or a leg – or even your head – doesn’t change who you are or what you regenerate into. Much as a human is still his or herself when you take away their fingers, or their arms, or legs - it’s the brain controlling everything. Not for you, though… Something in your torso, instead, must be - must be generating everything else.” Elias was titillated by the curious implications, yet bewildered by the actual physiological possibility. He spent so long mulling it over that it took him a while to realize Envy had not replied – which was very unusual for the gregarious homunculus.

Glancing at Envy, Elias saw that their face was stony, their purple eyes cruel. It struck a chilly feeling deep in Elias’ chest. Reminding him imminently that without Envy’s restraints, Elias would be dead in a heartbeat. 

“Is that true?” Elias whispered. 

“Screw off.” Envy rolled their shoulders and turned their head away. Their mouth was pressed tight closed, but their body seemed artificially relaxed. Elias wasn’t always the greatest at reading body language, but it seemed Envy was at once defensive and hopeless. Like they'd given up and was accustomed to being pried and used for information, so accustomed to it that they faced every new revelation with resignation. It almost made Elias feel bad for doing what was literally his job. 

Tucking away the hair sample and scissors, Elias hesitated. Some human instinct made him want to reach out to Envy for comfort; instead, he settled his hand on the table. 

“Envy, if you are honest with me, I can make conditions better for you here.”

Envy laughed. “Sure. _That’s_ what they’ll do when they learn to control me. Make a precious _home_ here for me to be comfortable and happy. Everybody just wants the homunculus to _enjoy_ their five star hotel stay.”

Elias bit his tongue. He didn’t know how to reply. He knew far too little about what the military truly did with the homunculi, but resolved to find out what he could. For now, any facsimile of peace in the room was clearly ruined. 

The rest of the examination went by rigidly, scattered with only a handful of snarky remarks from Envy. After the hair sample, Elias also drew up a vial of Envy’s blood (the homunculus ostentatiously whined about how much it hurt, and informed Elias he was the most evil of the doctors Envy had met, truly). 

Elias checked the dilation of Envy’s pupils (normal), while Envy told him, “Why yes, doctor, I do have functional eyeballs, thank you for noticing.”

Next called for a saliva sample. To Elias request for Envy to open their mouth, Envy immediately clenched their teeth shut. A very hushed and angry debate ultimately led to Elias giving up the quest, because he didn’t want Lyra to get involved and do something horrible to Envy to get the homunculus to cooperate. 

In the end, Elias managed to check _most_ of the experiment boxes he wanted as a first round. Part of him was tempted to keep going, given that restraining Envy evidently required such brutal tactics, but without knowing more about Envy at the moment, it was best to call it a day. Regardless, he would need to spend quite a lot of time this afternoon in the laboratory, examining the samples he’d already taken. 

“That should be about it, then,” Elias noted, stepping away from the table. 

“Leaving so soon?” Envy quipped, but couldn't disguise their relief. 

“I’ll be back before you know it,” Elias returned.

“Can’t say I’ll be excited.” Envy thumped their head against the table and sighed. Elias allowed a twist of guilt in his stomach. Perhaps, if Envy was willing to cooperate (doubtful), the next exam need not be performed up close - perhaps Elias could deliver instructions across the glass and avoid the whole discomfort (that’s one word for it) of Envy being restrained in this barbaric manner. 

Elias knocked on the glass; Lyra pressed the requisite buttons and followed the necessary procedures. The six locks clicked, hissed, and the door was open. With relief, Elias passed through. He’d almost forgotten his own tension about being in the same room as Envy, but he _did_ feel the relief of that tension: finally noticing his sweaty palms, finally relaxing the tightness in his shoulders. Much as he sympathized with the homunculus, he did not trust them. And Envy radiated an aura of danger, even while heavily restrained and helpless. 

Only once the door was sealed again (and Lyra had double checked to make sure there were no weaknesses in the alchemy or physical locks), did she hit the button that released Envy’s restraints. Which was a kind way of saying the metal that had fused with Envy’s skin and body wrenched out. 

Elias winced at Envy’s cry, and turned away. 

With luck, he could devise a better system than that… Now, though, it was time for a trip to the lab. 


End file.
